Private: John Boyle

John Boyle was born in London, Ontario. A self-taught artist, he has produced a major body of work that spans a career of five decades. First active in London in the 1960s, he was included in the acclaimed National Gallery of Canada exhibition, The Heart of London. Boyle very quickly developed a distinctive vision which has remained consistent throughout his career. Strong colour, richly patterned areas and figures spaced randomly throughout the painting emphasize the direct response of the artist to his world. Boyle has experimented with different materials – pen and ink, oil, acrylic, watercolour, enamelled steel and bronze, adapting the various media to a variety of shaped canvases and board. In addition to painting, Boyle has published a novel, No Angel Came (Tellem Press, 1995) and is a founding member of the world renowned Nihilist Spasm Band since 1968.

Founding president of the Niagara Artists’ Company and founding Spokesperson of Canadian Artists’ Representation, Ontario, Boyle has been a frequent volunteer in the visual art world, serving on the boards of the Niagara Artists’ Company, the Canada Council Arts Advisory Panel, and the Canadian Centre for the Arts.

The artist has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions in both private and public galleries including at the National Gallery of Canada in the exhibition, The ’60s in Canada. John Boyle’s work is represented in the National Gallery of Canada, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Hamilton Art Gallery, the McMichael Canadian Collection, and the Art Gallery of Peterborough.